Refrigerating system



I June 13, 1939.

R. F. PEO

REFRIGERATIYNG SYSTEM Filed Nov. 13, 1935 CONDENSER.

M @i H111! E VAPOBATOR.

.Z'Fg.

EXPANGION VALVE Edi 0i c7 Peaf panded refrigerant line from theevaporator unit S out permitting the introduction of air Patented June13, 1939.

PATENT OFFICE REFBIGERATINGV sys'rnm itaiph r. Peo, Buffalo,

Engin Oorporetion, poration of New York Application November 13, 1935,Serial No. 49,503

6Claims.

This invention relates to a device for introducing a refrigerant intorefrigerating systems withor other impurities togetherwith therefrigerant.

More specifically, this invention relates to a check valve adapted to bedisposed in the exof a mechanical refrigerating system.

Heretofore, in charging mechanical refrigerating systems with anyrefrigerant which oper ates liquid at atmospheric pressures and roomtem-- peraturesysuch as, for example, methylene chloride (CH-.012), areceiver or collecting tani:- has 11 provided in therefrigerating systemwith. a opening at the top thereof. The refriger ant has been'pouredthrough this opening, after removing the plug, into the receiver untilthe desired charge was introduced. This'procedure. however, alwaysresults in the introduction of air and other impurities into therefrigerator system, and materially decreases the efliciency of thesystem.

It was therefore necessary to purge tem free from air after therefrigerant had been introduced therein by warming the condenser of thesystem and. running thecompressor pump until the high side of the systemwas above at-.

mospheric pressure. The plug at the top of the .receiver was thenremoved, and since the pressure inside of the receiver was greater thanatmospheric pressure, any air trapped at'the top of the receiver abovethe liquid refrigerant therein would be blown out of the system. Inorder to complete the removal of air and other trapped gases in therefrigerant, it was necessary to repeat the purging operation in two orthree successive steps.

This procedure involves considerable time and expense in running thecompressor pump without obtaining any appreciable refrigerating eil'ect,and I have therefore now provided a device for mounting in therefrigerating aystem which permits the charging of the systemwithrefrigerant, while at the same time sealing the system againstintroduction of air 'or other impurities.

frigerant.

It is therefore an object of this invention to liquid methylene rding tomy invention,

is sucked into the Acco chloride or similar refrigerant system through acheck valve preferably secured provide a simple charging devicepermitting the below atmospheric pressure and which is;

thesys the new charge of re- N. Y assignor to Honde Buflalo, N. Y3, acorintroduction of refrigerant into refrigerating systems while at thesame timesealing the system against the introduction of air.

Another object of this invention is to provide a check valve device forattachment to the intake 5 orifice of the compressor pump in arefrigerating system vfor introducing refrigerant into the system.

A further object of this invention is to provide a refrigerant chargingdevice for mounting in the intake line to the compressor pump ofrefrigerating systems.

Other and further objects of this invention will be apparent from thefollowing detaileddescription of the annexed sheet of drawings, whichdisl5 closes a preferred embodiment of the invention.

On the drawing; Figure l is a diagrammatic view of a refrigerator systemhaving an intake check valve incorporated therein according to thisinvention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged cross-sectiona1 view, with parts in elevation,taken substantially on the line 11-11 of Figure '1.

Figure 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view takensubstantially along theline III-III of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical cross-sectional view takensubstantially along the line IV-IV of Figure 1.

As shown on the drawing;

In Figure 1, the cates a rotary compressor pump having a dischargeoutlet Ii for flowing'compressed refrigerant through a tube into acondenser ll, wherein the refrigerant is cooled by air'ilowing aroundthe condenser, and-becomes-liquefled. as The liquefied refrigerant flowsfrom the topof the condenser i3 intoa tube ll communicating with thereceiver it, where it is collected for use.

I As shown,,the receiver II has a plug ll near the top thereof-which canbe removed to purge the 40 system of any air trapped in the refrigerant.

Liquid refrigerant collected in the receiver it flows through a tube l'linto an expansion valve I t, where it is expanded intothelow side of thesystem through a tube ll andinto the'bottom header II of an ev poratorunit indicated gen- I reference numeral ll indithe check valve device ofthis invention, indis v cated generally at 25. The device 25 is securedon the intake 2! to the compressor pump In.

It should be understood from the above description that'the compressor lreduces the pressure in the low side of the system between the expansionvalve l8 and the intake 25 of the pump. The expanded refrigerantreceived by the pump is then compressed and pumped through the coolingcoil Ii, wherein it is again liquefied and collected in the receiver IS.

The system described is therefore of the expanded refrigerant typewherein compressed or liquefied refrigerant is expanded through anevaporator unit to and perform its refrigerating function. The spentexpanded refrigerant is then sucked into the intake side of a rotarycompressor and discharged from the compressor at a pressure sufficientto cause its condensation in a condenser unit.

The intake check valve 25 ofthis invention, as best shown in Figures 2,3 and 4, comprises a cast or forged metal housing 30 defining a chamher3! therein with a recessed shoulder 32 at the bottom of the chamber 3|and a well or sump 33 atthe base of the housing below said shoulder.

The recessed shoulder 32 receives therein an annular collar or valveseat 34 which may be pressed into tight frictional engagement with therecess of the shouiden. The valve seat 31 receives a metal plate or disk35 adapted to lie upon an upturned lip 38 of the valve seat 35 andeffect a sealing of the sump 33 from the chamber 3i.

The top of the housing 30 is closed with a plate 37 which mayconveniently be spun into or brazed onto the housing for sealing thechamber M. A rod 33 extends through'the central portion of the plate-31and is brazed or soldered therein. The rod 33 carries a spider 39 at thebottom thereof spaced from the plate 35 a sum-- cient'distance to allowthis plate to rise and fall in the chamber 3!, without permitting theplate to stand on edge. The spider 39 therefore acts as a top stop forthe plate or disk 36.

An opening it of a comparatively large size is formed through the sidewall of near the top thereof and communicates with a passageway H whichmay be conveniently formed integral with the housing 3|. The passagewayll terminates in an enlarged flange i2 adapted tobe directly secured tothe intake 28 of the pump it.

As shown in Figure 2, the flange 12 has oppositely extending earsprovided with openings l3 therein for receiving bolts (not shown) tosecure the device 25 to the intake 28 of the pump in.

Asshown in Figures 1 and 4, the well or sump 33 has an opening llthrough the side wall thereof near the bottom of the sump. This openinghas a boss therearound. as shown in Figure 1, for receiving the tube"from the evaporator unit. The tube 24 may be sealed in the opening M byforcing the tube in the opening with the nut 45 secured on the boss llof .the housing.

The bottom of the sump 3! has a small threaded opening 18 adapted toreceive in threadedrelation therein the vertical branch 41 of a couplingmember 4'1. The branch fl has a vertical passageway ca therethroughcommunicating with the sump 33 and with a horizontal passageway 49of-the branch 41" of the coupling member. This branch 41" has anenlarged horizontal threaded bore 50 communicating with the passageway,A tapered seat ii is formed at the absorb heat from the unitthe housing30 closed and the check 7 the high side expands due to the heat end ofthe bore 50 for receiving the tapered end 53 of a needle valve 54 whichis threaded in the bore 50. The needle valve has a laterally extendingshank 55 projecting beyond the end of the branch 41" provided with anend 56 for receiving a wrench or tool to screw the needle valve 54 intothe bore so that the end 53 thereof is in tight-fitting engagement withthe seat 5| or to space the needle valve end 53 away from the seat 5!.

A cap member 5'! is threaded around the end of the branch 41" andcompresses a gasket 58 over the end of the branch l1 to seal the bore51) from the outside. The cap 51 has an extending portion defining awell 59 in which the end 55 of the needle valve may be disposed andprotected against injury.

The coupling member 41 also has another vertical branch "0 projectingfrom the bottom thereof and defining a vertical passageway til offsetfrom the vertical passageway 48 but communicating with the bore 50. Thebranch l1 receives a cap 51 in threaded relation therearound forpressing a coupling 62 against the end of the passageway 60 in air-tightrelation therewith. The coupling 62 carries a tube 63 having itsinterior communicating with the passagcway' 50 through an openingprovided in the coupling 52.

When it is desired to system such as shown in Figure 1 with refrigerant,the needle valve 54 is opened so that the passageway H) of the couplingl1 communicates with the passageway 48 through the bore 50 andpassageway l9. Before the needle valve is i opened; however, the tube 63communicating with the passageway 50 of the coupling 4'! is disposed ina container it Figure l) for liquid refrigerant, such as methylenechloride, below the liquid level therein. The compressor pump itthereupon sucks refrigerant from the container 84 into the sump 33 ofthe device 25 and the check valve 35 thereupon opens to permit therefrlgerant to flow through the passageway ll into the inlet 26 of thepump. Since the tube 63 is maintained below the level of liquidrefrigerant in the container 64, and since the refrigerant is suckedfrom the container, no air is introduced into the system with therefrigerant. After a sufficient amount of refrigerant has beenintroduced into the system, the needle valve 51 is valve 35 thereupondrops by gravity to be seated on its seat 36. When the refrigeratingsystem is operating, this check valve is only opened when the pressurein the evaporator is greater than the pressure at the intake of thepump. Under these conditions the spent expanded opens the valve 3! andflows into the pump to be compressed. In the event that back pressure isbuilt up in the pump it does not affect the operation of the low side ofthe refrigerating sys-' tem since the check valve 35 will close and sealthe evaporator from the pump until the pres pump. This sealing featureis important in the usual intermittent operation of the pump since afterthe pump is stopped any refrigerant collected in the intake thereof orleaking back from of the charge a refrigerating refrigerant from theevaporator motor and tends to increase the pressure in the low side ofthe system. The valve, however, seals the lowside of the systemfrom. thepump until the pressure within the evaporator is greater than thepressure in thepump. As a result the reduced pressure in the low side isutilized completely to expand refrigerant in the evaporator forperforming its cooling function.

I am aware that many changes may be made and numerous details ofconstruction may be .varied through a wide range without departing fromthe principles of this invention, and I, therefore, do not purposelimiting the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by theprior art.

I claim as my invention:,

1. In a mechanical refrigerating system of the expanded refrigerant typeincluding an evaporator and a suction pump for removing spentrefrigerant from the evaporator, a check valve interposed between theevaporator and the suction pump to arrest a back flow of'material out ofthe pump and a tube communicating with the evaporator side ofsaid checkvalve adapted to be connected to a source of refrigerant for chargingthe system.

2. In a refrigerating system of the expanded refrigerant type includingan evaporator unit and a compressor pump in operative assembly, theimprovement which comprises a check valve interposed between theevaporator and compressor operable valve communicating with the inletside of said check valve, said operable valve adapted to open said inletside of the check valve to a source of refrigerant.

4. In a mechanical refrigerating system including a compressor pump, theimprovement which comprises a check valve having the outlet side thereofcommunicating with the inlet of said compressor pump, said check valveadapted to arrest a back flow of material out of thepump, and meanscommunicating with the inlet side of said check valve for connectionwitha source of refrigerant to charge the refrigerating system.

5. In a mechanical refrigerating system including an evaporator unit anda compressor pump, theimprovement which comprises a charging deviceinterposed between the evaporator and the inlet side of said pump, saidcharging device comprising a housing defining 'an upper chamber and awell belowsaid chamber, a check valve between said chamber and said welladapted to open upwardly only for connecting the well with the chamber,said housing having an outletopening joining said upper chamber with theinlet to the pump, and an inlet opening joining said well with theevaporator, said housing also having a third opening communicatingwiththe well and a valve coupling secured in said third opening adapted tobe Joined with a source of refrigerant.

6. The method of charging a mechanical refrigerating system of thecompressor-condenserevaporator type including a check valve havinganoutlet communicating with the intake side of the compressor and an inletcommunicating with the evaporator, without incorporating air into thesystem, and without loss of refrigerant from the system, which comprisesoperating the compressor to reduce the pressure in the check valve belowatmospheric pressure, venting the inlet side of the check valve to asource of liquid refrigerant below the liquid level of said source,

sucking refrigerant through the check valve into the compressor, andarresting anyback flow of material out of said compressor.

RALPH F. PEO.

